Contributors
Elizabeth Stivison
Articles by Elizabeth Stivison
Feature
Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease
July 15, 2025
Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal — and just getting started.
Diversity
Embrace your neurodivergence and flourish in college
April 14, 2025
This guide offers practical advice on setting yourself up for success — learn how to leverage campus resources, work with professors and embrace your strengths.
Professional Development
Summer internships in an unpredictable funding environment
March 14, 2025
With the National Institutes of Health and other institutions canceling summer programs, many students are left scrambling for alternatives. If your program has been canceled or delayed, consider applying for other opportunities or taking a course.
ASBMB Annual Meeting
Attend ASBMB’s career and education fair
Feb. 24, 2025
Attending the ASBMB career and education fair is a great way to explore new opportunities, make valuable connections and gain insights into potential career paths.
Advice
Making career resolutions a reality
Jan. 31, 2025
Planning your next year (or 10) can include backward planning, exploratory goals and more
Jobs
How military forensic scientists use DNA to solve mysteries
Jan. 10, 2025
Learn how two analysts at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory use molecular biology and genetics to identify the remains of fallen troops.
Guide
Where to look for jobs
Dec. 13, 2024
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison writes a lot about different jobs. But where, she wondered, can you actually find these jobs? So she made a list.
Hobbies
Being a whole person outside of work
Nov. 1, 2024
Creating art, community service, physical exercise, theater and music — four scientists talk about the activities that bring them joy.
Jobs
Transferable skills for Ph.D.s
Oct. 11, 2024
Our careers columnist explains how skills graduate students learn through their thesis work can be helpful in careers away from the bench.
Advice
Remote work — how to make it work
Sept. 20, 2024
Many science-related jobs can be done remotely, so here’s advice on managing your time, space and more if you do some or all of your work from home.
Jobs
Curiosity drives a science writing career
Aug. 30, 2024
Siobhan Sanford has worked at scientific journals, at pharma and consulting companies and as a freelancer.
Jobs
Two years of alternatives to academia and industry
Aug. 9, 2024
They have a variety of jobs, but our careers columnist found that these scientists share certain qualities, including curiosity and a sense of adventure.
Jobs
There is no ‘one weird trick’: A look into the life sciences job-seeking landscape
July 19, 2024
Daniela Sharma, who has taught college students about careers and worked as a recruiter in the life sciences, shares some advice.
Jobs
Being curious and taking opportunities when they come
June 21, 2024
Anna Hertzberg’s winding career path led her from the bench to regulatory consulting.
Jobs
Scientists in a law firm: The job of a patent agent
May 31, 2024
A law degree is not required; a strong science background is. Two trained scientists describe their journeys to patent law.
Jobs
Consider an undergraduate summer research internship in government
May 10, 2024
Our careers columnist offers a rundown of agencies that can provide you with a couple of months of lab experience.
Jobs
A look into medical writing
April 5, 2024
Our careers columnist spoke with Ashlea A. Morgan at Chameleon Communications International to get a sense of one type of work a medical writer can do.
Journal News
There’s more than one way to be good
March 19, 2024
Researchers find a new role for HDL cholesterol in the immune system.
Advice
Getting the most from conferences as an introvert
March 8, 2024
There are several ways to make good use of conferences even if milling around and chatting to random strangers isn’t your cup of tea.
Jobs
Defining success for yourself
Feb. 9, 2024
Our academic careers columnist offers some advice and questions to ask yourself to determine what your values are and how they should be reflected in your work life.
Journal News
Circadian influences on lipid metabolism
Feb. 6, 2024
A new study provides insights into how the 24-hour clock and external environment together regulate lipid metabolism.
Jobs
The job of a scientific director
Oct. 6, 2023
‘Assessing where we’ve been, where we are and where we want to go.’
Health Observance
Completing the cycle of genomic medicine
Sept. 11, 2023
Wolfgang Pernice is both a patient with and a researcher of Charcot‒Marie‒Tooth disease.
Jobs
Always onward
July 7, 2023
Unafraid of change and true to herself, Gauri Nair has zig-zagged through academia, industry and beyond.
In Memoriam
In memoriam: Melvin Simpson
June 12, 2023
He was the founder of the Stony Brook University biochemistry department and an ASBMB member since 1955.
Feature
'A challenge to learn'
April 5, 2023
Intrigued by projects at a community lab, Indeever Madireddy set out to sequence the genome of his pet angelfish.
Jobs
Making your résumé stand out (or at least be seen)
March 10, 2023
Tips for making it through applicant-tracking systems that scan applications for keywords.
Jobs
What’s it like to work at 23andMe?
Feb. 10, 2023
With enormous troves of data at their disposal, “we can do things no one else can do,” senior scientist Sarah Laskey said.
Journal News
How Salmonella runs hot and cold
Feb. 7, 2023
Looking at proteomic data, researchers were surprised to find the pathogen expresses flagella at cooler temperatures.
Jobs
How to keep teaching in your life after academia
Jan. 20, 2023
If you’re thinking of leaving academia and worry that means you have to give up teaching, it doesn’t!
Jobs
A scientist’s identity outside of academia
Dec. 9, 2022
Our careers columnist asked: "Are you still a scientist if you leave academia?" See what people said.
Journal News
Saving the bees with proteomics
Nov. 10, 2022
Among the many threats to pollinators is one specific to honeybees: the mite Varroa destructor, which has infested most of the world’s managed populations.
Jobs
What is a scientific editor?
Oct. 28, 2022
‘I’m able to take a big-picture view on science, and then find papers that are of high interest to the community, make them better and publish them,’ Margot Brandt explains.
Annual Meeting
Matthews’ career-long search for truth
Oct. 28, 2022
The University of Edinburgh professor of parasite biology has won the ASBMB’s Alice and C.C. Wang Award in Molecular Parasitology.
Jobs
Following a passion for science — away from academia
Sept. 23, 2022
Brittany Leigh does public relations for life science companies.
Jobs
Science inside a museum exhibition
Aug. 26, 2022
At the Field Museum's DNA lab, Isabel Distefano does her work as curious visitors watch.
Jobs
Working as an environmental educator
July 29, 2022
Maija Niemisto teaches and conducts research on the Hudson River.
Jobs
'Give yourself grace'
July 1, 2022
Our careers columnist interviewed Robyn Sellers about teaching and doing outreach through a science center.
Jobs
Side gigs as preparation for an alt-ac career
June 3, 2022
If you are thinking of having a career outside of academia, what you do away from the bench can be critical.
Jobs
All the alt-ac jobs
May 13, 2022
Our career columnist compiled a smorgasbord of places that need scientists on their staffs.
Jobs
A scientist on Capitol Hill
April 22, 2022
Anita Burgos shares with our careers columnist what it's like to be a science policy adviser.
Jobs
Science and writing: What kind of work is out there?
April 1, 2022
There are many types of writers working toward a range of goals and for various audiences. This is a great thing, because it means there are many niches that need filling and that call for a wide variety and multiple combinations of skills!
Jobs
Being a breath alcohol specialist
March 11, 2022
Boden VanDerLoop works for the state of Wisconsin. His job involves biology, chemistry and the law.
Jobs
So you want to leave academia. What now?
Feb. 18, 2022
Trying to figure out what your options are can be overwhelming. Our careers columnist is here to help you devise a plan for job exploration.
Journal News
Sphingolipid secrets of wound healing
Feb. 9, 2022
An atypical sphingolipid is overproduced in a rare inherited neuropathy and also in Type 2 diabetes. What’s the connection?
Jobs
What is it like to work at the EPA?
Jan. 22, 2022
Muna Nahar has worked as a toxicologist at the EPA through three presidencies.
Professional Development
Hosting an inclusive virtual conference
Dec. 31, 2021
If you’ve attended any virtual conferences, you know that they aren't perfect. But some solutions have shaken out of the past two years of trial and error.
Professional Development
Conferences for all
Nov. 12, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes, “(I)t’s a great time to assess how to make conferences more accessible to all before we settle back into the old familiar ways that can end up unintentionally excluding people.”
Jobs
A salary with strings attached
Oct. 22, 2021
Here's what you need to know about postdoc payback agreements.
Observance
World Food Day: Let there be bread. Or not bread, please.
Oct. 16, 2021
Oct. 16 is World Food Day, to commemorate the 1945 founding of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, whose slogan is, “Let There Be Bread.” But that’s not so great for everyone.
Jobs
Taking time before a Ph.D.
Oct. 1, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to four people who, like her, found direction and learned a lot about themselves by working between undergrad and grad school.
Jobs
Variety in academia
Sept. 3, 2021
Our academic careers columnist reflects on some of the surprising — and encouraging — answers she’d heard when talking to people about their jobs.
Education
Unspoken rules and other things Ph.D. students need to know
Aug. 13, 2021
Our academic careers columnist completes a two-part series on the stuff grad students need to know but are rarely told.
Education
Wait, Ph.D.s are free? And other things they don’t tell you
July 30, 2021
Our academic careers columnist begins a two-part series on unspoken rules and other things students need to know but are rarely told about grad school.
Jobs
Nice work if you can get it
July 9, 2021
It's not easy to snag a staff scientist position. Here are some words of wisdom from two lucky researchers.
Diversity
LGBTQ+ scientists in history
June 18, 2021
To celebrate Pride Month, columnist Elizabeth Stivison shares a bit about influential LGBTQ+ scientists of the past.
Jobs
Finding joy and meaning outside the Ph.D. track
May 28, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to Minakshi Poddar, a research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, about her decision to leave her Ph.D. program but stay in academia.
Professional Development
Your paper’s been rejected. What now?
May 7, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes about how to deal with paper rejection both mentally (how to not feel too bad) and practically (what to do next).
Observance
A celebration of our other genome: Mitochondrial DNA
April 22, 2021
The genes in human mtDNA encode some essential components of the electron transport chain, as well as a set of tRNAs and ribosomal RNAs necessary for protein synthesis.
Life in the Lab
A procrastinator’s guide to scheduling your time in lab
April 9, 2021
Our academic careers columnist offers tips and low- and high-tech tools to help you overcome sticking points in your projects.
Jobs
Leaving, and returning to, the academy
March 12, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to four people who managed to leave the academy and find a way back in.
Jobs
The wide range of academic institutions
Feb. 19, 2021
There are many different types of academic institutions at which people research, teach and study the life sciences. Our academic careers columnist breaks down the designations.
Professional Development
All about Ph.D. committee meetings
Jan. 29, 2021
Our academic careers columnist breaks down everything you need to know: What they are, what they’re for, and how to get the most out of them.
Outreach
How to get involved in science outreach
Jan. 8, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes about how students, postdocs and professors can get involved in the essential work of outreach while keeping their day jobs.
Jobs
How PIs pick postdocs
Dec. 18, 2020
Our academic careers columnist talked to lab leaders about their hiring processes.
Professional Development
Get and keep a handle on the literature
Nov. 27, 2020
Whether you're new to the field or trying to do a better job of staying up to date, these tools and techniques will help.
Jobs
Cold emails: a pandemic-friendly way to find a postdoc position
Nov. 6, 2020
Cold emailing, or sending an email to someone you don’t know, can be a little stressful, but now that face-to-face meetings are limited, it's a crucial skill.
Life in the Lab
What to consider during your Ph.D. rotations
Oct. 16, 2020
Choosing the right lab doesn't hinge on the science alone. Find out what other factors you should weigh before making this important decision.
Jobs
What exactly is a chalk talk?
Sept. 25, 2020
Three new professors share their experiences with careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison.
Funding
Private funding for early-career researchers
Sept. 4, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison explores funding available from foundations, nonprofits and other private entities.
Funding
Funding for Ph.D. students, postdocs and early-career researchers
Aug. 14, 2020
These are grants that can fund your training and set you up for a career as an independent, tenure-track investigator.
Jobs
Being a professor at a PUI
July 24, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison talked to professors at PUIs about how they prepared for careers that center teaching, how they incorporate and pay for research, and what they look for in job applicants.
Life in the Lab
How can labs reopen safely?
July 3, 2020
Labs are trying to reopen and get back to research while not spreading COVID-19. Great goal, but how do we do that?
Professional Development
Neurodiversity: How to make your lab more inclusive (part 2)
June 17, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison completes a two-part series for principal investigators who want to make their labs more inclusive to neurodiverse members.
Professional Development
Neurodiversity: How to make your lab more inclusive (part 1)
May 22, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison begins a two-part series for principal investigators who want to make their labs more inclusive to neurodiverse members.
Jobs
Academic job exploration: the core facility manager
May 1, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison interviewed Theresa Swayne, the manager of the confocal and specialized microscopy core facility at Columbia University, to learn about her job.
Essay
A new city, a new job and a global pandemic
April 9, 2020
Elizabeth Stivison and her dog, Milo, moved from New York City to Nashville Tennessee, for her postdoc at Vanderbilt University. Within weeks, she narrowly escaped a tornado and COVID-19 turned the world upside-down.
Jobs
Making the leap: How do PIs start their own labs?
March 20, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison talked to PIs to learn how they started their labs — from where their ideas came from to the logistics of transitioning from postdoc to prof.
Journal News
From the journals: MCP
March 18, 2020
New therapeutic targets for hyperactive mTOR, a SPEEDy way to prepare mass spec samples, and a new program to identify and validate citrullinated peptides. Read about these recent papers in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
Professional Development
Up your presentation game
Feb. 28, 2020
These resources will help you give talks people want to listen to.
Jobs
Overview of academic research, teaching and other positions
Feb. 7, 2020
Our careers columnist investigated all the academic job titles she could find to understand what the options are for people looking to participate in research and teaching at colleges and universities.
Award
Yang follows the science where it takes her
Feb. 5, 2020
During her Ph.D., JBC/Tabor award winner Cindy Yang studied the health effects of astaxanthin, an antioxidant carotenoid compound found in algae.
Jobs
Taking vacations as a Ph.D. student
Jan. 17, 2020
"Was I essentially asking for a favor whenever I asked for days off? Or, conversely, was I an idiot by not taking advantage of this unusually free time in my life because I didn’t take vacations all the time?"
Journal News
From the journals: MCP
Jan. 3, 2020
Articles in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics report peptide signatures for ID'g bacteria. the first evidence of phosphorylation in Francisella tularensis, how pathogenic phleboviruses bud and exit host cells, and more.
Jobs
Ups and downs of the adjunct faculty position
Dec. 26, 2019
Our careers columnist examines the pros and cons of the adjunct job: At times it can be a great choice, and at times it ends up being a bad deal.
Annual Meeting
Becoming an active citizen and scientist
Dec. 1, 2019
Ray Blind, a JLR junior associate editor, studies nonmembrane lipids and aims to help students who, like him, didn’t grow up in an elite academic world.
Jobs
How to find a postdoctoral research position
Nov. 26, 2019
Postdoctoral positions in many cases are a springboard for future independent research as an independent academic researcher, but you can move into industry or other careers afterward, too.
Jobs
Technicians and lab managers play essential roles in academic research labs
Nov. 8, 2019
Sometimes people think of a technician position as one you might take for a few years after college, and that can be the case for some people. However, senior technicians and lab managers can play important long-term roles in labs.
Award
Winding path leads to plant enzyme breakthrough
Nov. 1, 2019
Manajit Hayer–Hartl has won the 2020/2021 ASBMB–Merck Award for her work synthesizing plant RuBisCo in E. coli.
Jobs
Academic jobs in the field of microbiology
Oct. 16, 2019
This careers column focuses on academic jobs available to study microbiology, the microbiome of the soil and water, and the symbiotic and pathogenic interactions of the microbiome with humans, plants, and animals.
Journal News
From the journals: October 2019
Oct. 1, 2019
What’s the role of ECM proteins in heart regeneration? How can an acid be converted to boost biofuel production? How does the “many ceramides” hypothesis lead to new tools for studying sphingolipid metabolism? Read about these questions and more.
Student Chapters
Biochem, with a side of advocacy
June 1, 2019
As founder of the ASBMB Student Chapter at the College of New Jersey, Kelly McAleer turns her longstanding passion for science and science advocacy into action.
Award
Kuhlman solves protein puzzles with a modeling program
April 1, 2019
The work of Brian Kuhlman can be described broadly as using computers and computational biology to model protein interactions. He uses the molecular modeling software Rosetta for protein interface design, antibody assembly and engineering photoactiv…
Annual Meeting
From art to proteomics: a path to science
March 1, 2019
Jenn Abelin is one of four young investigators chosen by the editorial team of the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics to present their research at the ASBMB annual meeting.
Student Chapters
Student Chapter president sees value in campus groups
Jan. 1, 2019
Investigative and medical sciences major Victoria Mak balances a full load of classes and a boatload of extracurricular activities at St. Louis University.
Student Chapters
Chapter leader finds his niche
Oct. 1, 2018
Jacob Crosser, former president of the Purdue University ASBMB Student Chapter, started college thinking he wanted to study engineering, then he discovered biochemistry.